New Canadian Shipbuilding Strategy

[lenaitch]

But too often, over my career, and in my life, the cry has gone out: "Reduce Costs!"
Never "Raise revenues!"
And never, ever "Do things differently". Because change implies risk.

That's only when accountants ('beancounters') are in positions of power or decision-making. Otherwise, the profession reports on the outcomes of decisions made by others.

 

[Nvlgzr]

Where computers conflict with ships....

Shipyards compete with AI for engines - Splash247

A familiar constraint from shipping’s last great shipbuilding boom is beginning to reappear: yards are short of engines. Splash understands a lack of available main engines is now curbing shipyard output at the margin, echoing conditions last seen during the 2007 ordering frenzy. The pressure is...

splash247.com

Almost every jurisdiction in the world now finds itself scrounging for electricity to feed Data Centers that are deemed essential to modern life.
This is driving up the price of electricity and driving down its availability if not its supply.
This is, in turn, is driving Data Centers to places where they can find cheap energy, cheap fuel, like Alberta, where they can generate their own electricity without disrupting the local grid.

But even in Alberta there is concern that the demand for fuel in the form of natural gas will be so great that it will drive that price up to world standards.

And the conversion of that energy to electricity happens with internal combustion engines.

The same ones needed to power ships.

At least until the ships and data centers start competing for nuclear reactors.

3rd option: megawatt scale fuel cells operating on natural gas. As with internal combustion engines, carbon capture will need to be a consideration of NG fuelled projects.
4th option: NG fueled gas turbines driving generators ie. GE-7FA, MT30. See Elon Musk’s Colossus data centres: Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rules

 

[Kirkhill]

That's only when accountants ('beancounters') are in positions of power or decision-making. Otherwise, the profession reports on the outcomes of decisions made by others.

You are right.

My sense of the problem is that when a company reaches the mature stage where it is no longer growing but hasn't started dying boards often turn to accountants to manage the company as if the revenue stream will continue unchanged and manage itself, failing to recognize that successful companies attract competitors and markets become saturated.

Truly successful companies, like truly succesful armies, have to keep taking risks and looking for new avenues to exploit.

 

[Kirkhill]

3rd option: megawatt scale fuel cells operating on natural gas. As with internal combustion engines, carbon capture will need to be a consideration of NG fuelled projects.
4th option: NG fueled gas turbines driving generators ie. GE-7FA, MT30. See Elon Musk’s Colossus data centres: Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rules

I look forwards to seeing all these alternative powerplants.

Another factor is managing the cooling load.

That opens up the option of Tri-Generation Power plants with the heat from the power generation (fuel cell, turbine or ICE), being used to drive absorption chillers and the waste used to serve the local community.